The Protectors
by HoneyGoddess57
Summary: When Archie and Herry's sisters are left pregnant and abandoned by thier boyfriends, they promise to protect them from everything... including Cronus. Bit of Archie and Atlanta towards the end.


**Characters:** Archie and Herry

**Couples:** Bit of Archie and Atlanta

**Rated:** T

**Summary:** When Archie and Herry's sisters are left pregnant and abandoned by their boyfriends, they promise to protect them from everything…including Cronus.

* * *

A young woman with black hair was sitting on the couch reading poetry in the apartment she shared with her best friend. She glanced up when her best friend walked into the room. She was holding a picture against her chest and crying. The black headed girl sighed and closed her book. Her friend sat down beside her and she put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"I know Katherine," she said. "I miss my little brother too, but they're busy..."

"…right now," finished Katherine as she wiped her eyes. "It's not fair. I wish our brothers had time to come visit us."

Stephanie shook her head as memories started to parade through it, memories of her and her younger siblings dancing and doing activities together. Tears started to roll down her cheeks and she and Katherine hugged each other. They hadn't heard anything from their brothers in two years and they just wanted to know how they were doing.

Suddenly, the phone started to ring...

"I'll get it," said Stephanie standing up and wiping the tears from her eyes.

She walked over to the phone and picked it up.

"Hello?" she said.

"Hello, Stephanie?" the person on the other end asked.

Stephanie recognized the voice, "A... A... Archie, is that you?"

"You bet it's me," Archie answered. "Is there a Katherine Brishon living with you?"

Stephanie's heart started to beat like crazy as she answered, "Yes, why?"

Then something occurred to her.

"Wait a minute is Herry living with you?" she asked excitedly.

Hearing the excitement in Stephanie's voice, Katherine stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder. Stephanie glanced at Katherine for a moment then resumed speaking to her brother.

"Archie, Katherine and I want to move to New Olympia to be closer to you and Herry," she said.

"How did you know that we're living in New Olympia?" Archie asked.

"Herry and Katherine's granny told us," Stephanie answered smiling. "I asked her to tell you and Herry how we're doing, but she must have forgotten. Just like she forgot to tell us how you guys were doing."

"There's something else I need to tell you," Stephanie continued. She paused and took a deep breath knowing her brother wouldn't like what she said next, but knowing she had to say it anyway.

"Katherine and I are pregnant and our boyfriends left us," Stephanie said in a rush anxious to get things over with.

As she started to cry, Stephanie could have sworn she heard her brother growl. Archie knew his older sister's ex-boyfriend because Stephanie had dated him since they were teenagers. Archie hated him. Herry had always hated Katherine's boyfriend too because he seemed like a womanizer and a cheater.

Stephanie was expecting to talk to her brother for a while longer and hoping that Katherine would get a chance to talk to her brother too. Unfortunately, things didn't work out that way.

"I have to go Steph," Archie said abruptly. "I love you. Oh, and give Herry's love to his sister."

Stephanie turned off the phone and smiled at her best friend.

"I didn't get a chance to tell my brother when we're moving to New Olympia," she said. "I guess it'll just have to be a surprise."

**One month later… **

Stephanie and Katherine had moved to New Olympia. Their stuff was being unloaded and it was such a beautiful day they decided to take a minute to walk around the outside of their new house.

They stopped in the backyard, closed their eyes and started to imagine their children running around, playing games and swimming in the large above-ground pool. Then they went inside for bottles of water and were about to go for a walk around the neighbourhood when they noticed two smiling boys standing in the doorway.

"Archie! Herry!" they squealed in excitement.

Archie and Herry walked inside and gave their sisters a gentle hug.

Two of the movers interrupted them.

"Sorry for disturbing your family time," one of them said, "but where do you want this stuff?"

Katherine sighed and turned her attention to directing the movers.

Stephanie smiled at Archie and Herry and asked, "How did you guys know that we were going to live in this house?"

"We were passing by," Archie answered, "and when Herry and I saw the two of you going into this house we realized you must have moved here. So we decided to pay you a visit."

"Yeah and…" Herry started only to be interrupted by a girl with spikey red hair entering the house.

"Are you guys coming?" she asked. "We're getting tired of Neil's whining."

The guys laughed and headed back outside followed by their older sisters.

"We'll come back and visit you girls tonight, how's that?" Herry asked.

The two girls nodded.

"Sounds like a plan," Katherine said.

That night Archie and Herry returned to Katherine and Stephanie's house. Katherine was cooking dinner for everyone when her stomach started to hurt. She doubled over in pain for a moment her arms wrapped around her. Suddenly, a hand touched her shoulder she turned and found Archie smiling at her.

"Why don't I cook dinner while you go relax?" Archie suggested.

Katherine smiled and nodded. She went to the living room where she found Stephanie and Herry sitting on the couch talking like old friends. She sat next to her brother.

"I thought you were cooking," Stephanie said confused.

"I was, but I started feeling a little nauseous," Katherine explained, "so Archie volunteered to take over."

She turned to her brother, "I'm glad that your here with me, Herry. Things just wouldn't be the same without you."

Herry wrapped his arms around his sister and smiled, "I feel the same way sis. I'm glad I'm going to help out with the baby."

Katherine sighed and ran her fingers through her long hair.

_After the baby's born I'll cut my hair_, she thought.

Stephanie stood up and went into the kitchen. She placed a hand on her brother's shoulder.

Archie turned around and smiled, "Go back to the living room, Steph. Dinner should be ready in ten minutes."

"Sure little brother, whatever you say," Stephanie answered giving him a peck on the cheek.

She walked back into the living room. Smiling she turned to Herry.

"Does Archie cook where you live?" she asked.

"No, Ath...I mean there's a woman who comes over and does the cooking for us," Herry answered, grinning.

He had one arm wrapped around Katherine and her head was resting on his chest. Katherine looked up at him and smiled.

"You know Herry, if you weren't my brother I would have married you," she said. "You're nice and…"

"Don't say another word, Kathy," Herry interrupted. "You're my favourite sister and I'll always be there for you."

Suddenly, they heard Archie cry out in pain and start cursing.

Stephanie sighed in frustration and went into the kitchen.

"Archie Anderson, why are you swearing?" she demanded. "You know I don't like it when you use that kind of language."

"I'm sorry Stephanie, but... but... I burned my hand," he stammered. "I don't know what else to say... I thought I could cook for you and Katherine, but I screwed up."

Stephanie smiled and hugged her brother. It felt so good to have Archie hugging her back. She stroked his hair.

"I'm sorry...Steph, I failed cooking," Archie admitted. "I shouldn't have volunteered to take over from Katherine."

"Don't worry Archie, we'll order some Pizza Hut instead," Stephanie reassured him, putting a hand on his cheek, "and stop worrying about failing cooking...it's not your fault."

"Is everything all right in there?" Katherine called.

"Yes," Stephanie and Archie called back. "We're going to order pizza."

About thirty minutes later the pizza arrived and they went into the dining room. They talked for hours, catching up on everything that had happened for the last two years. The only thing that Archie and Herry didn't mention was Cronus. They had just finished eating when Herry let out a loud disgusting burp.

"Excuse me," he apologized sheepishly.

Katherine laughed. The last time she'd heard Herry burp at dinner was when he was twelve years old. She really missed the old days with her brother.

Stephanie stared at Herry with a look of disgust on her face and turning to her brother asked, "Archie, does he burp like that all the time?"

Archie laughed.

"No. He doesn't burp were we live because the woman who takes care of us would be boiling with rage if he did."

"It's not something you want to see," Herry added lowering his eyes in embarrassment, "but at least I'm a gentleman and when I burp I say excuse me."

"That's right, Herry," Katherine confirmed yawning.

Herry got up and wrapped an arm around his sister's shoulders.

"Come on Kathy," he said. "You should go to bed. Archie and I will clean up for you and Stephanie."

"That's really sweet of you," Katherine said, getting up and kissing her brother on the cheek, "Good night."

The girls went to bed while the boys started to clean up. They were putting the last of the dishes in the dishwasher when Herry noticed the worried look on Archie's face.

"Archie, your sister's going to be fine," he said reassuringly.

"I know Herry, but Stephanie's going to be raising this baby alone and I don't like it," Archie admitted his eyes getting a bit misty at the thought. "I mean I just wish we could've defeated Cronus sooner, so we'd have more time to help out."

"Don't worry, no matter what happens," Herry said placing a hand on Archie's shoulder, "we're going to be there for our sisters."

**Three months later…**

The heroes were about to battle Cronus when Archie and Herry got a call from their sisters. Katherine and Stephanie had promised to call and tell them whether they were going to have boys or girls.

Unfortunately, before they had a chance to say anything, Jay snatched Archie and Herry's PMRs.

"I'm sorry," he told them, "but Herry and Archie can't talk to you right now."

Then he shut their PMRs off. Archie and Herry were thunderstruck. They couldn't believe Jay would do something like that. They knew that now wasn't the best time for their sisters to call and if Jay had given them a chance they would have told them that themselves.

Seconds later they were facing Cronus again, but this time Archie and Herry were keeping their distance from Jay. Clearly hurt by what he'd just done.

"All right Cronus this is your last chance, give up!" Jay shouted.

"My poor boy," Cronus sneered. "You seem confused. You don't actually think you're going to win, do you?"

"Oh shut up, Cronus!" Archie snapped running toward the god.

"Archie, what do you think you're doing?" Jay yelled.

Archie ignored Jay. He wrapped his whip around Cronus, but Cronus broke free. Herry punched Cronus in the face, knocking him down briefly. Then the others started fighting too. Finally, Cronus had it. Laughing nastily he slashed Archie and Herry then disappeared through a portal.

The moment Cronus left the others hurried over to help Archie and Herry. By the time they reached them Herry had already passed out. Archie was trying to stand up, but failed. Theresa kneeled down next to Archie.

"Archie, don't try to…" she started.

"Archie! Herry!" two voices yelled interrupting her.

The teenagers turned to see who it was and were surprised to see Stephanie and Katherine running toward them. They dropped down beside their brothers looking worried. Katherine stroked Herry's face, her eyes filling with tears while Stephanie cried softly as she held Archie's hand. Archie reached out to place a hand on his sister's slightly rounded stomach his eyes half closed.

"Stephanie, please don't worry about me, worry about your baby…" he stopped realizing he still didn't know if she was going to have a boy or girl.

"Girl," finished Stephanie holding both his hands in hers. Then she added, "Katherine and I...we...we know the truth about you, Herry and your friends. You're battling a crazy god and…"

"What?" Archie demanded trying to get up again. "You know the truth? You're crazy! You and the baby will be in trouble!"

Tears started to roll down Stephanie's cheeks, "I'm sorry, Archie...Katherine and I just wanted to know what was going on with you, so…so we went to see the Oracle…"

Archie stood up keeping a hand on his wound.

"Stephanie Anderson!" he shouted. "You're insane! I can't believe you did that! Don't you realize how much danger you could be in?"

"I'm sorry Archie...Katherine and I won't tell," Stephanie sobbed standing up. "We promise…"

"Save it, Steph!" Archie yelled his anger rising. "I think you and Katherine should leave."

"Archie you're upset you're not thinking clearly," Theresa said.

"Yes I am!" Archie exclaimed defensively. "You guys know that no one in our family is supposed to know what we're doing. Herry and Katherine's granny already knows, but only because Cronus kidnapped her. What if he finds out that Katherine and Stephanie know? What if he comes after them too?"

Katherine and Stephanie looked shocked as if the thought of Cronus coming after them had never occurred to them. Stephanie started crying harder.

"Archie, why are you saying these things?" she asked.

"Shut up Stephanie," Archie growled. "I wish you'd minded your own business! I wish you'd never moved to New Olympia!"

Stephanie was thunderstruck. She turned around and walked away crying her heart out. Katherine followed glaring at Archie as she walked by.

"Stephanie didn't do this to hurt you," she said. "She only wanted to know the truth."

Archie stared after them for a moment then the pain of his injury combined with the blood loss caused him to collapse.

Hours later, Archie slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He had expected to wake up in Chiron's study, so he was surprised to realize that he was in his room. He reached down to touch the bandages that covered his hip. Then the events of the day came back to him.

_What have I done?_ he thought. _Why did I say such terrible things to Stephanie? Why did I tell her I wished she'd never moved here? Why did I get so angry with her for just wanting to understand what was going on?_

Atlanta walked in and put a hand on his forehead.

"I never wanted to hurt Stephanie," Archie told her. "I only want to protect her and my niece."

"Archie, it's all right. I'm going to phone your sister," Atlanta responded.

"Thanks Atlanta," Archie said.

He tried to go back to sleep, but his stomach started growling.

Atlanta turned to him and smiled, "Maybe you should get something to eat, Archie."

Archie looked at his alarm clock. It was 5:40 pm. He'd missed lunch, no wonder he felt so hungry. Twenty minutes later he ate a big meal with Herry who ate almost everything in the fridge. He was back in his room, sitting on his bed with his head in his hands when Stephanie arrived. She came up beside him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Archie," she said quietly. "I forgive you. It's okay…"

"No, it's not Steph," Archie answered guiltily. "I was a jerk for saying that stuff to you."

"Archie, it's fine," she insisted sitting down beside him. "Just relax. I'm going to stay here tonight and Herry is staying at my house with Katherine."

Archie rubbed Stephanie's stomach gently.

"I want you to sleep in my bed since you're pregnant, Steph," he said. "I want you to be as comfortable as possible."

"Thank you Archie," Stephanie said smiling.

They sat in silence for several minutes Archie's hand resting on Stephanie's stomach. Archie was determined to protect his sister and his unborn niece. He wanted to defeat Cronus, so he could spend more time with Stephanie. It might have seemed weird to someone else, but he really adored her. He was afraid of losing his favourite sister. They had always been close and he didn't know what he'd do if anything happened to her or her child. Suddenly, Stephanie's unborn daughter kicked. Stephanie cried out in surprise.

"She wants us to know she's starting to feel alive," Archie smiled.

Stephanie nodded.

"Archie, can we take a walk?" she asked.

"Yes we can," Archie answered teasingly, "but we have to be back by nine o'clock because I want you to get some rest."

Herry was watching television when Katherine came in wearing a nightgown, and sat next to him. She bit her lip like she wanted to say something, but Herry interrupted her.

"Kathy, you should get some rest," he said. "You're pregnant, and I want my niece or nephew to be healthy."

"Herry can you stop being so overprotective?" Katherine laughed. "Oh and I forgot to tell you I'm going to have a little girl."

"That's great!" Herry exclaimed hugging her. "I'm glad I'm going to have a niece."

"You wanted to have a niece?" asked Katherine. "Why?"

Herry shrugged. Katherine yawned. Herry grinned, put a hand on her shoulder and guided her to her room. He said good night, rubbed her back and went back downstairs. Eventually, he fell asleep in front of the TV and slept soundly until he heard the birds singing early the next morning.

He groaned heavily as he opened his eyes and shut the television off. He heard footsteps coming down the stairs and turned around to see a smiling Katherine walking toward him.

"Hi Herry, did you sleep well?" she asked.

"The couch was a bit uncomfortable, but not too bad," he replied.

Katherine sat next to Herry. She was really enjoying having him around. She felt her daughter kick and smiled.

"She kicked!" Katherine told Herry excitedly.

"That's good news, Katherine," Herry said.

He put a hand on Katherine's stomach and the baby kicked again. Suddenly, Katherine remembered something she wanted to do. She got up and went to the bookshelf, scanning the titles until she found the book she was looking for. It was a book by Sidney Sheldon called _The Sands of Time_. Katherine flipped a few pages and finally found a name she liked. She shut the book and put it back in its place.

"Herry, I know what I want to name the baby," she said. "It's a name from a book by one of my favourite authors called _The Sands of Time_, Patricia."

"That's a really good name. I love it," Herry said kissing Katherine on the cheek. "I always dreamed of having a family member named Patricia."

"Aww Herry, you're just saying that because I'm your favourite sister," Katherine teased, laying a hand on her brother's shoulder.

She smiled at her brother and he smiled back and wrapped her in a gentle hug.

_I really hope we can finish Cronus off soon_, he thought._ So I can be with Katherine and Patricia...my little niece._

Archie was walking in the park with Stephanie when something occurred to him.

"Stephanie, what are you going to name the baby?" he asked.

"Oh...er...I'm going to name her Eve," she answered laying a hand on her stomach.

"That sounds perfect," Archie said, smiling at his sister.

They were really enjoying one another's company and Archie was trying to think when he had last seen his sister so happy when a giant appeared from nowhere. It grabbed the expectant mother and carried her away. Katherine yelled Archie's name and Archie tried to follow them, but they disappeared into thin air. Archie pulled out his PMR.

"Jay, a giant just grabbed Stephanie!" he shouted.

Archie had just finished speaking when a second voice came on the line.

"Guys, Katherine's been kidnapped!" Herry exclaimed in a panicky voice.

Jay took action immediately. First he had them meet up at the school and then while Odie worked on locating Stephanie and Katherine, the rest of them worked on a plan to rescue them. It took Odie nearly two hours to finally locate Herry and Archie's missing sisters. They were in a cave in the Pacific. Armed with both this information and a plan the heroes set out to rescue Katherine and Stephanie.

Katherine and Stephanie sat shivering and looked for blankets or something else to keep them warm. The cave they were in was cold and damp, but unfortunately there was nothing they could use to make themselves more comfortable. Suddenly, a man with a black suit appeared in front of them which startled them for a moment. Stephanie was determined not to show any signs of fear.

"We know who you are," she announced boldly. "You're Cronus the god of time!"

"Although I am pleased that you two already know about me," Cronus sneered, "it will not stop me from destroying you before those meddlesome pests come to get you."

"Yeah right, our little brothers will rescue us," spat Katherine with hatred in her eyes.

"Your little brothers will never find you here, my dears," Cronus began. "I've taken every possible…"

"You're surrounded Cronus!" Jay shouted cutting him off.

"Impossible!" Cronus exclaimed angrily.

"What was that you were saying about them never finding us?" Katherine asked innocently.

Archie and Herry rushed quickly to their sisters then turned to Cronus with hatred in their eyes.

"You'll pay for this Cronus!" Archie growled.

Overwhelmed by everything that had happened, Katherine and Stephanie fainted. Herry and Archie caught them before they hit the ground. When Katherine and Stephanie woke up, Cronus was on the ground unconscious and some strange creature had come to get him. Surprised, Katherine and Stephanie froze.

_That must be Campe, the jailer of Tartarus_, Stephanie thought.

Campe noticed them and waved. Smiling uncertainly, they waved back. Then a woman with her gray hair in a bun came forward and handed Stephanie and Katherine their own pendant keys.

"You are part of our family now," she told them.

She was about to leave then suddenly turned back to face them.

"By the way, why didn't you tell your brothers the real truth about your past?" she asked.

Katherine and Stephanie grinned at the confused looks on Archie and Herry's faces.

"We were waiting for the right moment, Hera," Katherine explained.

"Ah, now I understand," Hera said.

She turned and walked toward Jay while Herry and Archie stood there looking baffled. Finally, Archie snapped out of it.

"What did Hera mean by 'the real truth about your past'?" he asked.

"Do you remember when you were little and I was away for a while?" Stephanie asked.

Archie just stared at her, obviously drawing a blank.

"Um, no," he answered.

Stephanie laughed at the face her brother was making.

"I was in New Olympia with Katherine and some other people," Stephanie continued. "The gods had some things they wanted to discuss with us."

"What kind of things?" Archie demanded impatiently.

Stephanie was annoyed with Archie's rudeness.

"Archie Anderson, have some patience," she said. "After everything that's happened to us today I would think you'd be a little more understanding."

Herry was going to smack Archie on the back of the head, but Katherine stopped him.

"We were in New Olympia because the gods wanted to find out about you guys," Katherine explained. "They knew you would eventually battle Cronus and they wanted to learn more about you. We also discussed some other stuff, but it's private, so we're not going to tell you about it."

"But...but...Stephanie said she went to the Oracle to learn the truth," stammered Archie.

He turned to his sister with a look of disbelief then crossed his arms with a huff' as he looked in Katherine's direction.

Katherine nodded, "Yeah, to see if the prophecy we discussed with the gods years ago was true."

Herry and Archie were mad at their sisters for not telling them about the prophecy when they were children. They thought their sisters would have been more honest with them. Katherine noticed the look of pain on Herry's face and sighed while Stephanie placed a hand on Archie's shoulder.

"Look we're sorry for not telling you when you were only children," Stephanie told them, "but the gods told us not to. They said it could alter the future if you knew."

"They said you guys might never meet and that seven other teenagers might take your place if we told you," Katherine explained, looking straight into Herry's eyes. "I'm sorry Herry for not telling you sooner, but I didn't have a choice."

Herry and Archie hugged Katherine and Stephanie while everyone else just stood around awkwardly. The siblings had been talking so quietly that none of the others had heard their conversation.

"Okay what's this about?" Neil asked.

"I don't know but... er…we should give them some time alone to work it out," Jay answered clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

The rest of the heroes left quietly while Archie and Herry continued hugging their sisters.

"I think we should go, don't you?" Archie suggested after a minute.

The other three nodded and they went back to New Olympia.

**One month later…**

It was graduation day for Jay, Odie, Herry, Atlanta, Archie, Theresa, and Neil. Their families were there and everyone was smiling. Stephanie and Katherine were crying in each other's arms while Atlanta's brother, Alexander and Jay's brother, Jason rolled their eyes. Neil's sister Penelope, Odie's sister Krystella and Theresa's brother Rick were clapping their hands and laughing.

After the graduation ceremony they went to a Chinese restaurant and the remaining heroes discovered that their older siblings knew about the prophecy too. They also found out that their older siblings had had crushes on each other since they'd first met all those years ago.

Stephanie and Alexander ended up living together in the house that Katherine and Stephanie had bought. Katherine and Rick left to live somewhere else in New Olympia. Krystella and her boyfriend moved into the brownstone and Jason and Penelope also moved to New Olympia.

One night a few weeks later Archie and Atlanta were watching TV at Stephanie and Alexander's house when Archie wrapped an arm around Atlanta's shoulders startling her.

"What are you doing? You scared me!" Atlanta protested.

"I'm sorry Atlanta, but I just wanted to tell you that I really love you," Archie explained blushing furiously.

Atlanta's eyes started to get watery as she said, "Go on."

"I've never met a girl as beautiful and fantastic as you before. When I first saw you I thought 'Wow that's my dream girl'. I didn't want to be part of the team, but I didn't want to go because you were too beautiful to resist. I stayed because of you Atlanta. I just wanted you to know that I've loved you from the beginning."

Archie wrapped his arms around Atlanta and Atlanta put her arms around Archie. He kissed her passionately and she ran her hands through his hair. They were enjoying themselves so much that they didn't noticed Stephanie staring at them with a smile on her face.

"You did a great job showing Atlanta how much you love her Archie," she said laughing.

Archie and Atlanta jumped and turned to see Stephanie grinning and walking toward them.

"So are you two finally together?" she asked sitting next to Archie.

"Yes," Archie and Atlanta answered at the same time.

"Love you, dork," Atlanta whispered in Archie's ear.

**Three months later…**

Herry and Archie smiled as they cradled their newborn nieces in their arms.

"We love you Eve and Patricia," they said, "and we will protect you and your families until the day we will die. That's a promise."

* * *

I should thank tinianiatt for beta my story "The Protectors" for me, especially in my version there was alot of mistakes, so I say again thank you to tinianiatt for editing my story. Now, I apologize for the short bits of Archie and Atlanta but I stink terribly at AxA romance but still I love to do AxA stuff. So anyways, Read, Review and no flammings, thank you.

Thank you for taking your time for reading this story, even if someone beta it for me. Thank you.


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